Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-09-29
TIE GROOMING CRAZE.

II
In the aesthetic, culsured east, the
lovers OF novelty, beans, eyeglasses and
the dead languages are joining in the
study OF the Koran, or becoming pro
fessional 8uddhisas, and their fsir sisters
in the wild, untutored west, in order to
be attractively odd and capriciously
select, and at the sametime wonderfully
learned and wisely discriminating, have
taken up the study of Browning's poems
with an avidity and diligence which
amounts almost TO . craze. The western
states have never been the country seat,
the toTnhouse or the seaside cottage OF
the MUSES., nor yet the abiding place Of
literature, aud jast by what fresk or
species of mental legerdematn the
western mind hiss conceived that it has
found anything worth reading in the poet
of the jimjam fifteen puzzle sentences,
| is beyond ordinary comprehension as far
as the poems of Mr.. Browning are beyond
the pale Of common sense. In the first
place the poems CT Mr.. Browning
when he attempts to display his learning
! and accomplishments, have the primary
defect OF being absolutely unintelligible;
when he tries to be serious he succeeds
admirably in being Gensely stupid, and in
his lighter moods, when he tries to be
gay and Joyous, he is clever enough to be
positively silly. Let child, unSble TO
read, point out words on printed page
at random and if they are written in sue
| ceesion there will be just es much order,
sense and poetry in them as can be found
in some Of Browning's poems. In sober
earnest, would any rational being csn
this poetry if be found it anywhere out
side Of book and unsccompanied by the
name of poet?
And my whole soul revolves, the cup runs over.
The world and LIES too big 10 pass for dream.
And do these wild things in sheer despite,
| And plsy the fooleres you catCn me az
| In pure rage! Tire old mill horso out ct grass
| After hard years, throws up his stiff heels so,
| Although the II Her does not preach to him
The only good of grass is to make chat
What would man have? 30 they like grass or
May they are mayn't they? All l wants the
thing
Settled forever one way AS It'll
You tell too many lies and hurt yourself:
You don't like what yOu only like too much
You do Ike what, II given you at your word,
You End abundantly detestable
For me, always speak as | WAS taught
, ! always see the garden, and God there
a making mans Wife And my lesson learned
The value and significance of flesh
I can't unlearn ten m;nutea afterwards
You understand me: I'm a beast know.
-IFrom Fra Lippo Lippi.
There are those who read these lines
and similar nonsense and imagine they
have found new and precious beauties III
them. They could ponder over the me-
chanical beauties of jackstones with ss
much profit. There is absolutely nothing
in the lines, and any one who finds aught
to admire in them could invest page In
Webster's dictionary with ell the ravish-
ing delights of metrical verse.
It is perhaps fortunate for the
sturdy western intellects that so
thoughtful an enigma writer as
Mr.. Browning should prepare for
llSm lle plehshEt 6AeIClsS Vi uuuIHS
1 out from his written words what ideas he
meant to convey, but to the practical
mind it will appear at once that Mr..
Browning missed his calling in writing
poetry when talents such SIS he possesses
are in such demand for writing party
platforms that will mean all things to all
men. But one more sample to show that
this new fsvorite OF the west possessed q
versatility by no means contemplate.
Hear him while he MARBLES 9 brilliant
idiocy from "Pipp. Passes:"
"The years at the spring.
The days at the morn;
Mornings at seven;
The hillsides dew pearledi
The lark's on the wing;
The snairs on the thorn;
God Re In heaven
ALPS right 10 the world"
There is richness for youi And that
approaches poetry as near as ANYTHING he
has written. Yet we are told there is q
, "Browning creze" in the west? Go to!